Sermon Tone Analysis

Essentials of Faith

The Heart of Generosity

2nd Corinthians 9:1-12

Amen, Amen.

Today we find ourselves in part 4 of our sermon series Essentials of Faith.

Over the last couple weeks we have looked at a few things that are essential to our faith.

The things that as Believers we should have in our tool box.

If you were to build a tool box for your home or vehicle there are essential tools that you put into it.

Such as a hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, wire cutters, and some extra screws and nails.

Well our spiritual tool box is the same.

We need spiritual tools that we rely on to use on a daily basis.

So far we discussed fasting and prayer, We said that prayer and fasting go hand in hand.

Well I would like to congratulate you on making it through the 14 days of prayer and fasting.

It’s my hope that you just did not blow these 14 days off and not participate.

Because as we discussed it is important at the beginning of the year to make that statement of putting God first.

Please keep your prayer guidelines because these are prayers that we are asking you to pray for through your prayer time with God.

Last week we discussed a call for all believers to move past the prejudices of the world and to focus living in harmony with one another.

By remembering our hope, that God is faithful, and we are called to stir the pot of fellowship because of what Jesus has done for us.

When we live in harmony with one another it creates unity within the fellowship of believers and unity is crucial for a body of believers.

Well today we are talking about something that many people don’t like to talk about.

And that is Tithing, Giving, Generosity, yes money.

Now, tithing, giving, money is a topic that many churches ignore because of the turmoil associated with talking about money and giving.

But I want to open your minds this morning to the fact that the enemy loves to distract us from the truth.

The Bible tells us that the devil is the father of lies.

The enemy loves to put things in our minds that when we get paid, it's our money, we worked for it, and it goes into our accounts and what we are giving to God what is ours.

But that is far from the truth.

We have because God has given to us first.

And what I have found is this; when people become mad about the church teaching on money, the reason that most are mad is because they have to face their own reality that they don’t give or don’t give enough to God.

So their natural response is, the church always talks about money and they get offended by it.

However; if they worshiped God through giving, they would be exited about their giving and learning more about it.

If you have your Bibles with you and I hope that you do, I invite you to open it with me to the book of 2nd Corinthians 9.

If you are unfamiliar with where 2nd Corinthians is, it is the 8th book in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1st Corinthians, then 2nd.

You know there are all kinds of seminars and programs that tell us how to get things in life.

Some programs tell us how to get rich in real estate.

Exercise programs how to get strong, lean, and mean.

There are also self-improvement gurus telling people how to succeed by listening, watching, and following their guidelines.

And let me say that there is nothing wrong with being wealthy, strong, and successful in life.

Many people in the Bible were wealthy people, and God has no problems if you are wealthy or not.

But if we want the blessing of God.

If we want to get things money can't buy, that robbers can't steal, things that time can't erode, that death can't take away, then we must have an heart of generosity towards God and His Church.

The Greek definition of generosity is this; it is a blessing, praise and a generous gift.

Now listen to this.. the specific word generosity is connected in two ways in the scriptures

Galatians 3:14 (NKJV) The Apostle Paul says: “that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”

This blessing is the generosity of God for the Salvation to all.

The Bible says in Eph 2:8-9

Ephesians 2:8–9 (NKJV)

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Paul compares this word generosity as the free gift and generosity of God.

He also speaks of the generosity of beleivers as a blessing, and generous gift.

The Apostle Paul planted a church there in the city of Corinth.

The city of Corinth at that time it was prosperous.

It was the crossroads of trade, and you could say it was the trade mecca of that region, meaning everything that went out to the region went through the city Corinth.

During this time of the letter that Paul wrote, there had been a famine in the region of Judea had some churches had experienced some economic tough times.

(Some of us can understand that today as we have seen or experienced some tough times or maybe a famine of some sort in our lives.)

because of the tough economic time, Paul enlisted a few Churches, and one of them was the church in Corinth.

Listen to this very key: Paul recognized that the Corinthians were in a position to bless others.

Well, let's look at what the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthian believers about this very issue of giving, generosity.

If you are there in the book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 9, begin reading with me from verse 1.

This is the Word of God, and it starts like this.

2 Corinthians 9:1-12

“Now concerning the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous (unnecessary) for me to write to you; 2 for I know your willingness, about which I boast of you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal has stirred up the majority.

3 Yet I have sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this respect, that, as I said, you may be ready; 4 lest if some Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we (not to mention you!) should be ashamed of this confident boasting.

5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.

6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

9 As it is written:

“He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God”

What the Apostle Paul is showing us is that the power of giving is tremendous.

This concept of generosity is so powerful when it comes to giving with the right attitude.

Which brings us to our take-home truth today.

The Take-home Truth is this:

Generosity is a heart attitude towards God.

You may remember what Jesus said in Matthew 6:19 as He gave the sermon on the Mount.

He said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" Essentially, Jesus is saying to us that what we value the most in life, our hearts, our emotions, our love will be for that.

Answer this question to yourself; What do you value the most in life?

When the church (the people) values God and His work the most, giving and being generous with an attitude from the heart will have incredible results.

In 2 Cor 8:8-9

2 Corinthians 8:8–9 (NKJV)

I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

I don't want you to miss this;

Paul was testing the sincerity of their love through their giving.

The love for Christ above all else was and is to be the reason for giving.

When we give from our hearts, we say to God that we believe in His mission and it connects us to our mission to love God and others, grow in Christlikeness, serve, and share the Gospel with the world.

Now, the Apostle Paul is not telling us something new in verse 6 "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."

It is an old proverb.

The Greek definition of "sow" is to extend one's hand to scatter seeds.

It's like a farmer who plants only half of his fields expecting to receive 100 percent yield of all his fields.

He sowed, planted only half; therefore, he would only receive what he has planted.

Yet if he planted all his fields, he would reap what he planted.

Our giving is like the farmer.

When we give, we are (in a way) planting our fields, and Paul says that you cannot harvest what you have not planted.

Amen? (x2)

Look at verse 10 Paul gets a little deeper as he says, "Now may He who supplies seed to the Sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness."

What Paul is saying here is that God is the one who supplies the seed to sow and the bread for food.

And when we sow the seed that was God's, to begin with, God, in turn, multiplies and increases the return for us.

The Bible tells us that God is love and that He so loved the world that He sent His Son, and that love has been manifested in His Son's sacrifice for us.

And when we fully understand that we cannot help to love Him in return, for what He has done, is doing, and what He is going to do for us, we cannot help but sow the seeds that He has given us as an attitude of our hearts.